The answer is 2002. Texas Republicans gained power over of the Texas House of Representatives for the first time since Reconstruction. The newly elected Republican government engaged in an exceptional mid-decade redistricting plan. In 2002, after winning a majority of seats in the State House of Representatives, Republicans gained complete control of the legislature. Tom Delay and Rick Perry , who had the position of US House Majority Leader in January 2003, the Republican majority pioneered legislation to redraw the court-drawn districts from 2001. The result was a gain of six seats by the Republicans in the 2004 elections, giving them a majority of the state's designation for the first time since Reconstruction.